Study Skills for Effe ctive Learn ing
Notes on Research
Understand the Task
- Check the assignment's exact requirements: length, presentation, date of submission etc
- Identify the questions, key words and phrases to clarify the problem set and your objectives.
- Clarify the question's scope - the limits of the topic. If you are appraising the chemical composition of a product is perception of flavour to important?
- Discuss the essay/paper with colleagues in your group and your tutor. Open up avenues to explore, interesting observations, exchange information about sources/books. Contribute as much as you receive.
Desk and Field ResearchDo not raid the library and hoard books selfishly. If copies are limited - borrow for 24 hours only!
- start researching early. Think about the topic and your intended approach - gestate on it! Read around the topic. If you leave everything to the night before then you will not have the absorption time you need. Your work will be thin - unless of course you are a creative genius!
- With your assignment title in view, list those questions you want the reading/material to provide ideas/answers on. Use indexes and skim relevant chapters
- use a variety of sources: textbooks, journal articles, newspapers , Business observations, CD-ROM on-line databases (ABI and Datastream), life experience as a consumer, TV programmes. Usually the best place to start can be with your tutor's recommendations on reading, videos to see etc.
- if you need to do field work - interviews, observations, visits, surveys. Prepare for this and do it early on. Get the coverage you need.
- Quote all sources and give credit to the authors. DON'T PLAGARISE. It is not allowed. It is CHEATING, a mark of desperation which leads to problems!
Study Skills Index
© This resource was developed by C. Jarvis